Obama to address U.S. troops on ‘strategy to destroy’ ISSeptember 17, 2014 - 15:13 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - President Barack Obama is to address U.S. troops involved in his new strategy to "degrade and destroy" Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria. He will also be briefed by commanders at the Florida headquarters of Centcom, the command covering the region, BBC News reports. The president has said U.S. troops will not have a combat mission in Iraq, under the strategy outlined last week. But ground forces may be sent if a new international coalition fails to defeat IS, the top U.S. general said on Tuesday, Sept 16. Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee that an international effort against IS was currently the "appropriate way forward". However, he said "if that fails to be true, and there are threats to the United States, then I of course would go back to the president and make a recommendation that may include the use of U.S. military ground forces". Gen Dempsey confirmed that under the current plan, U.S. military advisers would help the Iraqi army to plan attacks against IS, also known as ISIL. The jihadist group controls large areas of Syria and northern Iraq. It has between 20,000 and 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria, according to CIA estimates. Obama arrived overnight in Tampa, Florida, where U.S. Central Command (Centcom) - responsible for the Middle East and Central Asia - is based. "As we implement the president's strategy to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL, it's the men and women of Centcom who will partner with others in the region to carry out our limited military mission in those countries," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Tuesday. In recent weeks Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces backed by U.S. jets and drones have been advancing against IS positions in northern Iraq. In his speech last week, President Obama unveiled a four-point plan to defeat IS using further air strikes, support for Iraqi troops, anti-terrorism activities and humanitarian aid. On Monday U.S. aircraft carried out the first strike under the new strategy, south-west of Baghdad. The U.S. administration has also been working on a broad coalition to fight the jihadist group. At the weekend 30 countries took part in a summit in Paris, and pledged to help Iraq fight Islamic State (IS) militants "by all means necessary". Correspondents say the murders of two U.S. journalists and a British aid worker by IS militants - all shown in a videos released by IS - have added momentum to the plans. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |